


Take Five

by johnllauren



Category: 18th & 19th Century CE RPF, Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, M/M, death mentions, more founding father fanfiction because im already going to hell, so why stop now amirite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-16
Updated: 2016-01-16
Packaged: 2018-05-14 05:45:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5731627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/johnllauren/pseuds/johnllauren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It requires more than one lifetime for John Laurens and Alexander Hamilton to find the perfect lives. But when they have an unlimited time, who cares how long it takes?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take Five

Take Two

John was barely ten at the time, far too young to understand death or politics or any of that. But one morning, his parents were discussing something in their Serious Voices and he wad curious. He wanted to know why they were being so serious.

His parents, not wanting to pass up an opportunity to get him interested in the politics of the young nation, told him. “Alexander Hamilton, the man who made our bank, died yesterday.”

John wondered why that made him so sad. 

He ended up forgetting all about that. He forgot the strange connection he had felt to the name and lived a decently long life. John passed of old age, surrounded by his child and her children. He felt fine about the whole thing, though it always seemed like there was something missing in his life. He disregarded the thought.

 

Take Three

He didn’t wait for the draft to join the war. As soon as he heard rumors he was out of South Carolina, fighting for the North, fighting for the slaves’ freedom. Still, he couldn’t help but feel peeved that America had not been a country one hundred years and they had already been divided.

When he was on the battlefield, it felt familiar, like he belonged there, though he had never fought a war in his life. 

They came back to him in flashes. The memories.

Then he remembered. He remembered fighting for freedom, his plan for an all-black battalion, and his efforts to end slavery – that would explain why he has always been so repulsed by it. But most of all, he remembered Alexander Hamilton.

Alexander Hamilton, a man he had only heard of in classes. A man he loved in a past life. A man who loved him, regardless of how risky it was. Marvelous, wonderful, beautiful Alexander Hamilton. 

They met again on the battlefield. Alexander was another soldier fighting for the North. They had locked eyes. They were on the battlefield and there was no time, there was no _time_ and if they did not pay attention to the fight, they would die. But they both knew. They were gazing at each other and they knew.

“Alexander Hamilton.” John had said.

“More than _twenty years_.” Alexander responded. “I had to live without you for twenty years.” His tone was not accusatory, just sad. Sad and overjoyed at the same time.

“We have now.” John pointed out.

Alex shrugged. “I don’t know how much longer we have left.” 

And with that, they had joined hands and charged into battle. No matter how hard it was to fight with one hand.

They were still holding hands when they bled out on the same field. But at least they were together.

Later, the president would make a famous address that honored all the brave soldiers who gave their lives for their cause at the battle. They called it the Gettysburg Address.

 

Take Four

The next time they met, more than 100 years had passed. Being _like them_ \- being gay – was still frowned upon, which was more than a little disheartening. They fought for their liberty more than 200 years before then, and they still were not free.

That time, there was no war. There _was_ a war, but they were too young for the draft when it was sent out. War or no war, they were tired of fighting.

John and Alexander had an apartment together. They kept out of the public eye, even if they yearned to be involved with politics. Technology had advanced. They helped each other understand the wonders of Atari and color television.

Okay – keeping out of politics was harder than it seemed for two ex-revolutionaries. They agreed to draw the line at protests. They could go to protests and take stands against the corrupt politics of the day, but they couldn’t run for office or anything of that sort.

And then the disease struck. They knew it was a death sentence from the beginning, from the first few statistics. Still, it did not stop them from attending die-ins until their autoimmune systems failed.

They died from the disease – AIDs, they called it. And they were content with being just another statistic. At least they were together. 

 

Take Five

This time, Alexander and John meet through a website called Facebook, something that takes them both a long time to figure out. Technology in general takes them a long time to figure out, since they barely had a grasp of it back in the eighties. 

They arrange to meet at a Starbucks in the heart of Manhattan. Both of them are so _excited_ because times have advanced so much and they are finally okay, gay is finally okay, they can love each other and kiss and even get married.

“John?” Alexander asks, tapping the taller person’s shoulder.

John whisks around, a grin all over his face. “Alex,” he all but exclaims, setting down his coffee to hug Alex.

Alex kisses him in the back of that Starbucks and it feels so good, so good to kiss him when they don’t have to watch out or keep the shutters closed. 

“Do you think this one will finally work?” Alex asks, and John knows he’s talking about the many lives they’ve lead. 

John nods. “I’ve got you,” he laughs. “Everything is going to be fine.”

**Author's Note:**

> take one - their actual lives  
> take two - a life John lives in the early 1800s  
> take three - the Civil War/Battle of Gettysburg  
> take four - the 1980's/AIDs crisis  
> take five - present day


End file.
